Vending-machine.



AUGUST JAEG-BR & ALEXAII VENDING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED OGTA, 1911.

I fa

handles,

UNITED STATES IATENT OFFICE.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Application filed October 4. 1911.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUeUs'r JAnonR and ALEXANDER Janeen, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which thefollowingis a specification.

' Our invention relates to check'controlled vending machines; and theobject of our invention is to provide a structure designed moreparticularly for the vending of edibles, being available for use in theso-called automats or automatic lunch rooms where the articles of foodare vended from cabinets having mechanism which may be operated topermit opening of a door of such cabinet upon the insertion of a coin orother check.

A further feature of our invention to provide means for maintaining suchedibles hot or cold, as the case may be.

These and other features of our invention are more fully describedhereinafter, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a front elevation of one section of a vending cabinetarranged and operating in accordance with our invention; F ig. 2, is asectional plan view on the line a--a-, 3, is a sectional plan view onthe line b b, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, is a rear elevation of the structure shownin Fig. 1, and Fig. 5, is a cross sectional view on the line a e. Fig.1, showing a plurality of compartments with certain of the operatingparts in different posit-ions.

The wall of the cabinet may be made up of metal plates 1, carried bychannel members 2 forming a light frame, or otherwise constructed as maybe desired said front having apertures 3, closed by doors 4, which maybe hinged at. 5. The doors are preferably glazed, as indicated at 6, andcarry an internally disposed shelf 7, upon which a plate 8 may beplaced; to carry the edible to be vended. (Not shown). The doors may beprovided with and in the present instance they comprise ahollow portion9, terminating in a knob 10, upon which may be displayed the name of theedible in the particular conipartment. The hollow portion of the handleis for a special purpose, hereinafter described.

At a suitable point, above the handles for instance, slots 11 are formedin the front Specification of Letters Patent.

such plate serving Patented. May 26, 1914. Serial No. 652,684.

wall of the structure for the insert-ion of a coin, check or otherelement, as may be desired, and these slots may be corrugated as shown.Provision is made for closing these slots from the inside of the casing,by means of a plate 12 suitably mounted, which plate is arranged to bemoved over a slot; its position being controlled by the edible carrieror receptacle 8 on the door shelf 7. These shelves are provided withshoulders or stops 13 against which the plate abuts on one side, whileanother portion of the plate engages a pivoted arm 14 which controls theopen position of the slot closing plate 12. The plate is adapted toslide in suitable ways 15, and a lever '16 pivoted to the casing at 17is operatively connected therewith. This lever is connected to thepivoted arm 14 by means of a link 18, and a spring 19, suit.- ablyanchored, is connected to said lever and moves the same when the ediblecarrier is lifted and releases the arm 14. In addition, the slot closingplate is combined with means to indicate to the person whose duty it isto keep the compartments full, the fact that a compartment is empty. Forthis purpose, I provide a rocking rod 20 journaled in suitable supports,and having a disk 21 at one end, with a pin 22 in operative engagementwith the slot closing plate 12. At the opposite end of the rod 20 asignal 23 may be mounted, which signal will be disposed in one positionwhen the compartment is filled and in another position when thecompartment is empty. \Vhen the edible carrier is removed from theshelf. the arm 14 and the lever 16 connected thereto by the link 18 arereleased and under the action of the spring 19, said lever is coin slot;the movement of the latter rock ing the shaft or rod 20 to show thesignal indicating that the compartment is empty.

To retain the door in the shut position. a catch lever 27) may beemployed, pivoted at 26 and having a shoulder 27 engaging a suitableprojecting portion 28 of the door, which projection forms the end wallof the hollow portion 9 of the handle; the end of such catch projectinginto the hollow portion. he opposite end of the catch lever may beflattened as indicated at 29, and lies in the path of a coin m deliveredfrom a coin chute, shown at 30, in communication with the slot 11. Belowthecatch lever is a spring finger 31, suitably supported andsufficiently moved and with it the plate 12 closing the- We, mnmm mlwstill to support the end of the said lever 20 and hold the coin in thechute until the door is fully opened, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. Theweight of the coin is sullicicnt to move the lever on its pivot and freethe shoulder from its engagement, with the pro-- jecting portion 28 ofthe door, and the latter may then be opened. In opening, the projectingportion of the door engages a cam 39 at the end of the catch lever andcontinued opening movement of the door rocks the catch lever on itspivot against the tension of the spring finger 3i, permitting release ofthe coin which drops into the main conduit or coin chute 30 leading: tothe money box. (blot shown). The ion ward end of the catch lever is;bcvclcd or provided with a cam surface 21 so that a1 the door closes theprojecting portion at the latter will engage and lift the same suh'iciently to permit such closing action. and when the door is closed theforward end of the catch lever will dr p into engagement with theportion 28 01"" the door and hold the same locked; the forward end ofsaid lever being the heavier.

To ('lthG the door automatically, we provide a chain 235 connected atone end to the door, passing over a small pulley ti conncctcd to therear face of the wall 1, and having its opposite end attached to aspring 37, also connected to the rear face of the wall 1. Upon releasingthe door, the spring will return it with sufiicicnt force to elicclatching of the same.

lu connection with the vending of the cdiblcs, it may be desirable tomaintain the same at various temperatures, hot or cold, as the ct maybe, and for this purpose we provide insulating casings 40, which may beof sullicicnt height to embrace a plurality of the shelves carrying thecdiblcs. These casings may be tilled with hot watcr, or a suitableconnection may be made to circulate steam within the same, or a simpleform of burner, Bunsen or the like, may be employed to heat the water,if it be dcsired to maintain the cdiblcs hot, or the casings may bearranged to contain ice or cold water in case the ediblcs to be vcndcdrequire a cool condition; ice cream or cold drinks forinstancc.

The insulating rasing's are preferably horseshoe shaped, as indicated inthe sectional plan vicws, and they are preferably mounted upon wheels41. adapted to suitable rails 49, whereby they can be readily moved forthe replcni-1hing of the diilerent shclxcs at any time. As shown in thedrawings, the insulating structures are designed to fit between therespective door operating mechanisms and to bear such relation theretoas not to interfere with the working of the l I l l i l l l g l aame,nor with the slot closing plate. The insulating, casings will beprovided with top openings for the placing of water, ice, &c., suchopenings being closed bycover plates 43.

Although we have shown but one compartmc'i in Figs. 1 to l of thedrawings, it will be understood that a plurality of the same, arrangedside by side and above and below ach other and each having the sameparts and opt-rating in the same manner. will be employed. and in Fig.5. we have shown a v npct-posed pair.

We claim:

l. in a cbcclscontrolled Illttllillllmlll, the cmnbination of anaperture l casing, a door for closing such aperture, a coin chutc. apivotally m unted lcvcr having a weighted catch Tor the door and a flatportion underlying thc coin clinic. a spring underlying the ilal p rtionof the lever, the weight of the coin delivered by said chute dc 'nesdng'the flat end of the lever and ed ct-ting partial rc lease of said catchwhereby the door may be opened, and a plurality oi cams carried by saidlcvcr adjacent the "atch portion for engagement by the door in theopening and closing of the same; such engagement eft'c tinp' movementsof the flat end of the lever into contact with the spring and the coinbeing released upon that depression of the spring attendant upon thefull opening of the door.

3. ln checlncontrolled mechanism, the combination of an aperturcdcasing, a door for closing such aperture, a ccin chute, a pivotallymounted lever having a weighted catch for the door at one end and a llatportion underlying the coin chute at the op posite end, a spring beneaththe flat portion of the lever, the wci ht of a coin dc livcrcd by saidchute tlcpi'tasing' the flat portion oi" the lever to an extentsutlicicnt to cll'cct partial release of said atch whereby the door maybe opened, and a plurality ot in lined t aces at right angles to ttltilother carried by said lever adjacent its catch portion and forn'iingtttlilrl, one of said caans being engaged by the door in opening and theother cam being engaged by the door in closing the same; such engagementcth-ctiug movements of the lever into contact with the spring and thecoin being rchnncd upon that depression of the spring attendant upon thefull opening of the door.

in tt-atiinony whcrcof. we have signed our this specification, in theprcscucc of two subscribing witnesse names to \Vitncsscs:

lViLLmM (orrmcninn:icir,

Carin P. Kmir'rnnn.

